A DAY IN THE LOUNGE, Monday, July 14, 2003, THE DAILY THREAD

[undergroundrailroad]

MONDAY "IN" THE UNDERGROUNDRAILROAD (A Day In The Lounge)



UNDERGROUNDRAIROAD FROM THE GIT-GO





Good Monday everybody and welcome to Mondays "IN" the Undergroundrailroad. Today in the DU lounge we are serving home made http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/388/Recipe.cfm">Chocolate Eclairs. There is plenty of hot coffee in our bottomless pot !

So grab an Eclair, and a cup of your favorite beverage and let's go check out the Monday daily.

______________________________



We've Come A Long Way Baby

Oh where oh WHERE was Woman's Liberation in 1949? I was out driving with my mother a couple of days ago and it had dawned on me that I had never asked her HOW she learned to drive. Mom explained to me that she had to "ask" Dad's permission if she could learn to drive. Now, I was taken quite aback. "ASK PERMISSION?" She replied that she indeed asked his permission to drive and also asked him to teach her. Mom also explained that Dad had the most confidence in BUICKS. He felt they were very safe cars and well built. Back to the request for driving lessons, Dad said sure! On Sunday you'll learn how to drive. So Mom explained her enthusiasm that upcoming Sunday for her first driving lesson. During my childhood, Sundays were BIG days in our house and 1949 was no different. Mom and Dad would dress in their Sunday best. Now, Mom is getting behind the wheel of a 1949 Buick with high heels (GASP!) on, a cape dress and hat. Her first driving lesson would take place on a country road where there was very little traffic and lots of country fields. "Alright, what do I do first ?" Mom asks Dad. According to Mom, Dad told her to "just turn on the car and go"! Well, that's exactly what Mom did, put her foot on the gas peddle and drove right into a ditch. This was not going very well and besides, Dad didn't like being the driving instructor. He suggested professional driving lessons and to this day, Mom still keeps in her wallet her first driver's license. An archaic cardboard like paper, hand-written, that was issued to her. I asked her why she keeps it? She pulled out her just renewed computerized driver's license and compares it to the old one with no picture, Mom say's, "we've come a long way baby".

______________________________


Left to right: The Mighty Clouds of Joy The Best of the Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi

SUNDAY SINGING: THE BLACK GOSPEL QUARTET
by Mark Anthony Neal
PopMatters Columnist and Music Critic


Pops was part of that current of post-World War II migration, leaving his Thompson Georgia home in 1959, and ending up in Harlem with his sister, where he worked as a short order cook. As old-school and country as they come, Pops, negotiated the city with a small transistor radio, where he could at least hear the sounds of home -- the south that he left behind -- in the music of B.B. King, Jimmy Smith, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and most importantly, those great black gospel quartets of the late 1950s and 1960s. I was oblivious to most of this history as a small child, yet I still watched Pops sitting transfixed on Sunday mornings in our small tenement apartment's living room in the Bronx.

By then (the early 1970s), Pops was working 10 hours a day, six days a week at a combo drugstore/restaurant in Crown Heights Brooklyn (right on Nostrand Avenue) and traveling more than three hours a day roundtrip from the Bronx to Brooklyn. Pops was a real blur in my life those days, so Sunday mornings were the only time I had to share with him when I was young. Those Sundays were about him reconnecting with his humanity, as a non-educated, barely literate (though brilliant), working class Blackman who held no dreams except those he had for his wife and his young son. Sharing time with my father meant sharing time with his music, which inevitably meant hours of listening to the Soul Stirrers, the Highway QCs, the Swan Silvertones, the Swanee Quintet, the Dixie Hummingbirds, and especially, the voices of Joe Ligon and the Mighty Mighty Clouds of Joy. Pops was never much of a talker, and I've spent the better part of my adult life getting to know him and his history through this music he first shared with me 36 years ago. Ironically it is this very music that I have come to celebrate in my professional career, writing books and essays that Pops is incapable of even reading. This piece is a tribute to Pops -- A.C. as folks close to him call him -- and those great black gospel quartets that gave him and so many other folks the strength to build lives for themselves.

Though black gospel quartets can obviously be traced back to plantation life in the South (According to Alan young in his book Woke Me Up This Morning, the first reference to black gospel quartets was made in 1851), the "modern" quartets were born in the late 1920s and early 1930s with the emergence of groups like the Heavenly Gospel Singers (1934) and most notably, The Golden Gate Quartet (influenced by the Mills Brothers) of Norfolk, Virginia -- Norfolk was often referred to as the "home of the quartet". The intricate four-part harmonies that were the bedrock of the black gospel quartet tradition, were honed over centuries in the work songs that enslaved blacks incorporated into their daily activities as exploited laborers. These harmonies have always had a "public" visibility that connected them more to the secular world, though so many of the narratives were "other-worldly," which would also include visions of emancipation and a return to the "homeland." For example, lots of folks became aware of the Black Harmonic tradition in the 1870s via the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who performed "Christian" music for audiences around the globe as a means of raising money for Fisk University, one of the earliest Historically Black University and Colleges (HBUCs).
<snip>
__________________________________________________

The Boondock by Aaron McGruder


_______________

Questions of the Day

1. Who taught you how to Drive ?

2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?

3. Dinner Plans tonight?
____________________________________________________

I'm outta! See you next Monday "IN" the Undergroundrailroad!



Undergroundrailroad

[Aristus]

1. Good Morning, Mina. I don't get the Boondocks cartoon.

Is BET slow to get the news out? Just wondering. Interesting about your mother having to receive permission to drive. Amazing. If my wife wants to do something, I know better than to stand in her way. I'll just get steam rollered. 'Course, my opinion is, if my wife wants to do something, she'll probably do it better than it's been done before.

1. My sister's boyfriend taught me how to drive. He was and still is a terrific guy. He turned out to be gay. The only reason that's a bad thing is because he might have married my sister otherwise, and I'd have the best brother-in-law ever.

2. We take Sunday drives. To church (it takes half an hour) then to lunch. Applebee's, TGIF's, Red Robin, you name it. We don't tool around like people did in the old days. Traffic is just too damn bad.

3. Dinner tonight? Don't know yet. We'll see when my wife gets off work.

Have a great day, Mina!

[undergroundrailroad]

6. Good Afternoon Aristus!

The Boondock by Aaron McGruder


_______________



Regarding the Boondocks Carton, I think Aaron McGruder has it right on the mark. BET, IMO, caters to a younger group of viewers that are more interested in Music Videos than news, even if that news is the death of someone of the musical stature of Barry White who, in fact, died recently (The Death of Barry White ). Sadly this is something that BET needs to improve on. African Americans "news" does not always make it to the mainstream media. With the name recognition that BET has, this would be an excellent time and opportunity to provide a 24 hour news format that informs viewers, both white and black, of news that is relevant to African Americans in our country, if not , the world. So if anyone over at BET is reading this, listen up ! 24 Hour News might be in your future.

Yes, in 2003, a woman no longer needs her husband's "blessing" to learn how to drive but in other countries, this custom still holds true. At the time my mother learned how to drive, automobiles were a new thing. Women voting and wearing pants (as in the "pants" of a man) was a new fashion style. To this day, my mother will NOT wear pants or dressy pant suits on dressy occasions. GO FIGURE! Her daughter, undergroundrailroad, is the exact opposite.

Anywho, I see your sister's boyfriend taught you how to drive. For some reason we look to friends and family members to help us with that task. I see you like the tradition of "Sunday drives". You are so correct about traffic now as opposed to many decades ago.


Well Aristus, I hope you and your wife have a wonderful evening and a great dinner!

Thanks for your interesting responses. I really enjoyed reading them.

Love ya,


Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[Sal316]

2. Good Monday Morning Mina and DU!

Ahhh.. all is right with the world as the UGRR makes its way into the lounge on a hot Monday morning. It's 10am and already 102 outside on the way to 117.

:(

Oh, well, guess that's the price I pay for living in a desert.


And now.. on to the questions....

Questions of the Day

1. Who taught you how to Drive ?

-My dad taught me to drive also. Mom was too nervous to teach any of us 3 kids to drive. And like your Mom, I, too, have a "driving into something" story. I learned to drive in a 1980 Dodge Omni 5-speed stick. I was doing well until it came to pulling in the garage. Halfway up the driveway, I lost momentum and stopped. Nervously, I put the car in 1st gear and let off the clutch.....too quickly. The car jumped and slammed into the garage, cracking the outside. Now that would be bad enough, except family was in from out of town and it seemed as every neighbor was out for a walk on our street that night. I spent the next day spackling the garage to cover the crack. To this day, you can see where the garage was 'repaired'.

2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?

-Just around. Sometimes up to Sedona, other times to the lake. Just depends on how hot it is outside.

3. Dinner Plans tonight?

-Something light and easy... maybe chicken and rice.


Have a great day all!

[undergroundrailroad]

7. Hi Sal! Good Monday to you.

Sal, I have to tell you something. I have been to the desert twice in my life and I just LOVE it. In the future I would love to purchase a home in Arizona. Once during a tour of the Grand Canyon, our tour guide pointed out the different trees and their meanings, cactus plants and flowers in the desert. I was absolutely amazed by everything I saw and touched. So perhaps later in my life, I might decide to purchase a vacation home in the desert.

WOW! I love your driving story. Yes, like my mother, I see you lost momentum after you make that first blunder! Isn't it funny, how we can all relate to our first driving experience as if it was yesterday :)

Sunday drives are usually around the area we live in. Sometimes we drive to the beach or just to get an ice-cream cone. I love this tradition because it means being together as a family.

I hope you enjoy your evening and your dinner. Much love to you and your girls :)


Love ya,

Mina :hi:
Undergroundrailroad

[DemExpat]

3. Now that brought back memories...

My poor dear Momma, never learned to drive (!) until she was in her fifties, and then she would always take the back roads where she would not have to make any left turns!
My Dad was so impatient and sometimes downright mean that he destroyed any desire she might have had to be more independent.....she just wasn't gutsy enough (towards my Dad) to stand up more for herself.

We've come such a long way.....sometimes I catch myself being too loudmouthed towards my husband, because when I even get a twinge of a feeling that he is trying to 'keep me down', I rebel very vocally!

1. I learned how to drive from a driving instructor in Texas in the mid-60s.
2. I love to take drives to clear my mind and heart. I often go alone, but with my canine buddy, Mikey.
3. Tonight my family is spread to the 4 winds, so I'm eating a quick green salad with onion and tuna.....with fruit as dessert. Is that healthy, or what?
(I'd 'rather' have the eclairs....:-))

Have a great day, Mina!

:hi:
DemEx

[undergroundrailroad]

10. Hi DemEx!

DemEx, just last week my mother was driving and I had to give her directions. I kept saying "make a left, make a left, make a left." She finally blurted out "I don't like to make left turns!". This is what led to my story in the daily today. Why, I asked? "I just don't like left turns". Oh well, that's MOM :) I love her so much. Now when she drives, I try to plan our travels on the main road so there are less of them.

Yes, I also learned how to drive from a driving instructor. It was a "gift" for my 17th Birthday. I have always been a good driver and I credit my driving teacher who I found to be an interesting person as well as a teacher. His advise to this day is always with me when I take the wheel.

I also like to take drives alone. It gives me an opportunity to clear my mind, think pending project over and just look around at my surroundings. I FINALLY purchased a SUV/JEEP. I now have the advantage of sitting up "higher" in my seat, and seeing MORE :) I love road trips also, in fact, I want to plan a ROUTE 66 road trip and visit stops along the Undergroundrailroad. I will take notes and perhaps write about it.

Your dinner sound great and healthy.

Have a great day DemEx :hi:

Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[MaryBear]

4. Thank you for the story, undergroundrailroad.

I enjoy reading your posts. To answer your questions:

1. Who taught you how to Drive ?

http://images.picsearch.com/is?905125279079

My brother taught me to drive, in an old Model T truck that was used to haul fruit in my uncle's orchard. I practiced dodging the trees, successfully. I learned to drive "for real" in a high school driver's ed class.

2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?

I used to take Sunday drives, but they have less appeal than they did when I didn't have a long commute. I'll be moving to Davis with my DU s.o. next month, and might resume the practice then. I used to go for rides on area back roads.

3. Dinner Plans tonight?

Good question! Jack Rabbit is coming over, so I suppose I should fix something good. Maybe spaghetti and salad. I make a dynamite spaghetti sauce.

[undergroundrailroad]

12. Good Afternoon GrandmaBear (I love that handle!)

Welcome to Mondays in the Undergroundrailroad. Thanks for the compliments. That means so much to me, thank you.

I LOVE the photo in your post. That put a smile on my face because my Uncle used to drive something similar in the country to run errands and pick up produce. So I see your brother taught you to drive in an old Model T-truck. Is that the exact truck in the photo? If so, thanks for sharing that! We both have a lot in common! I know exactly what you mean by "dodging the trees", LOL. The Sunday Drive is really an old custom. When cars became popular, that was the recreation of that time. So much to see, to do, to search and find. As I am getting older, I appreciate the Sunday Drive because it allows me to go into my past and remember the things that we did as a family, together. Dinner with Jack Rabbit! WOW! That is going to be just GREAT! Jack Rabbit is so much fun and please tell him Undergroundrailroad said "hello". GrandmaBear, please come back and visit me again in the Undergroundrailroad.

Have a great evening!

Love ya,

Mina
Undergroundrailroad :hi:

[MaineDem]

5. Happy Monday, UGRR!

:-)
Another Monday to come in and check the UGRR post!

1) My parents (ugh) taught me to drive! I remember my mother wouldn't let me have the radio on while I was driving. It was a distraction, she said. Ummm, perhaps. The first car I bought was a standard shift although I had never driven one in my life! I avoided hills for a LONG time after that. Since those days all my cars have been 5-speeds and I've learned a lot about driving - and driving at speed. I've been an instructor at a racing school.

2) My Sunday drives used to involve strapping in. I've retired from competitive driving but I have the trophies to proof that in an earlier life I did it. B-)

3) Dinner tonight will be boneless, all-visible-fat-removed, pork loin chops with cajun seasonings grilled on the George grill; baked potato; steamed summer squash; fresh pineapple. (Better than last week with my Lean Cuisine meal.)

[undergroundrailroad]

13. Good Monday to you MaineDem!

Yes, I remember your Lean Cusine Meal last week complete with wax beans and corn :). I think I told you I like Lean Cusine Meals. I have a few favorites and they taste great.

So your parents taught you to drive. Again, I can relate to something in your post. My mother also discouraged the use of the radio on while I was driving. Perhaps that's why I play the radio all the time now. I listen to "Talk" Radio the most.

How interesting, you are now a retired race car driver (I hope that's correct) ? There is a raceway near my house that I used to watch, as a spectator, car racing. It is very exciting to watch. But the corner turns concern me the most. You won trophies! Very nice :) Car racing is a very exciting sport and I'm glad you shared that information with me and DU.

Your Dinner menu sounds appetizing! Grilled chops and squash, one of my favorite vegetables.

Well, thank you MaineDem for dropping in the Undergroundrailroad. I always look forward to your visits.

Have a great evening :hi:

Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[JohnKleeb]

8. yum eclairs with milk good afternoon everyone

1. No one I cant drive
2. See number 1
3. not sure where but likely at home.

[undergroundrailroad]

14. Good afternoon John! How are you today?

Yummy eclairs with milk! Aren't they great?!

So, John you don't drive. Nothing wrong with that. There are many family friends in my life that do not drive at all and are very content.

I like your Dennis Kucinich campaign photo. Look very closely at his tie. It has a mini flag on the bottom of the tie. I like that. Very different.

Well, I hope you enjoy your evening and your dinner John! :)

Best wishes,



Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[rbnyc]

9. Hello.

1. Who taught you how to Drive?

No one. I don't know how to drive.

2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?

I work evry Sunday.

3. Dinner Plans tonight?

I'll order something from work if I can think of anything that doesn't make me want to puke.

:hi:

[undergroundrailroad]

15. Hiya RBNYC!

Actually, you don't need a car in Manhattan. If I lived there I would find a car more of a nuisance . Alternate days/times to park/not to park. Then you have to deal with the astronomical parking fees, not to mention gas. I enjoy walking in Manhattan because it is so much fun to watch the people in NY and just eat along the way.

I hope you have a wonderful evening tonight.

Love ya,


Mina
Undergroundrailroad :hi:

[rbnyc]

19. Thanks!

I also found something to eat that didn't make me sick. (I'm REAL picky these days!)

;-)

[undergroundrailroad]

20. I hear you RB!

:hi:

Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[ZenLefty]

11. Hello there.

1. Who taught you how to Drive ?

-Pizza Hut.

2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?

-Church. The Church of Home Depot. I give generous tithes to their offering plate, and in return I get things that enable me to fix my house.

3. Dinner Plans tonight?

-Dinner with some friends tonight, at a pseudo-Italian* restaurant.

*pseudo-Italian: Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and any of those other fancy chains that are about as far removed from authentic Italian food as French Fries are from western Europe.

[undergroundrailroad]

17. LOL, Pizza Hut!

I love this, I can even understand this answer. When my son was in college he delivered Pizza :) He used to tell me of his rush to arrive at the customer's house in 30 min or less! So I relate to your response.

OK, The Church Of the Home Depot, LOL! Yes, I also go to the Home Depot on Sundays.

Your dining plans sound just wonderful Zen :)

Have a great evening :hi:

Love ya,

Mina :hi:
Undergroundrailroad

[pmbryant]

16. Happy Monday, UGRR

1. Who taught you how to Drive ?
2. Do you take Sunday Drives? If so where do you go?
3. Dinner Plans tonight?

(1) Don't remember. Probably some anonymous Drivers' Ed teacher. My parents probably helped out, though I don't recall them helping out too much.
(2) Not really. Sunday bicycle rides, yes!
(3) Nothing concrete. Just eat at home with my S.O. after our volleyball game, again.

:bounce:

Thanks for yet another fabulous daily thread, UGRR!

--Peter

[undergroundrailroad]

18. Hi Peter! Happy Monday to You!

Here's to Sunday bicycle rides! I agree, bike rides are a good form of physical exercise and should be encouraged.

I wish you good luck in the volleyball game Peter. Hello to you S.O. Have a great evening and dinner.

Love ya,

Mina
Undergroundrailroad :hi:

[blazinjason]

21. Hi Mina! Sorry I'm late, but I'll have a cup of coffee and an Eclair!

I loved the essay about your mother and driving lessons. My mother did not drive until her late twenties. My dad, purchased her first car and she only used it to go to church, market and special events. So I can relate to the "permission" aspect of your story. It's old school kinda thing.

I like Gospel Music, and McDonald's Gospelfest was on oveer the weekend. I thought Cissy Houston tore the stage up! Here's a link if anyone's interested: http://jaxsn.com/pix/mdgf/source/2.html

OK let's move on to the daily questions.

My brother and Dad taught me how to drive.

Yes, I still do that Sunday Drive Routine. We go to festivals and the beach. We also have concerts that we like to attend on Sundays in the park.

We had chicken, pasta, salad and left-over pie from last night.

Mina, DU, have a great evening! Thanks for the Monday daily Mina, it set's the tone for my week :)

BJ

[undergroundrailroad]

23. One cup of hot coffee and an eclair for BJ!

I love it when DUers post late in the thread. It keeps everything balanced and exciting. Thanks for your comments regarding your Mom and her driving. I see you like the traditional Sunday Drives. I like to take them especially the festivals, aren't they so much fun ?! Just keep me far away from the food, the aroma just captures me :). Your dinner menu sounds good. I love chicken, pasta and salad. In fact, I think I'll make that Tuesday's dinner!

Thanks for checking in BJ. I always appreciate your remarks and I'm glad that you visit me every Monday in the Undergroundrailroad.

Love ya,

Mina :hi:
Undergroundrailroad

[northofdenali]

22. Checking in a little late today, ugrr!

But that eclair recipe looks yummy, and I'm off grocery shopping shortly............. bye, bye diet........

1. My current hubby taught me to drive in High School.
2. Yesterday's drive was up the Steese Highway to a few miles past Long Creek, and discovering a neat new camping spot.
3. Baked chicken & dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy, peas, fresh bread (baked today) and......maybe eclairs!

Terrific Monday thread, ugrr!

[undergroundrailroad]

24. Better late than never. Now here's your yummy eclair! Bye-bye diet!

So your hubby taught you to drive :) How sweet, how romantic! You even take the wonderful Sunday Drives. Yesterday it was in search of camping spots. How sweet, how romantic! Your dinner menu was baked chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, fresh bread, baked TODAY (ummmmmm the aroma of fresh bread) and, maybe, just maybe, UGRR's eclair recipe ! How sweet, how ROMANTIC! I like your life! It's full of fun, planning and romance. What better way than to make your husband happy then to bake him fresh bread!! How sweet, how ROMANTIC!

Well northofdenali, I bid you and Mr. northofdenali a good-night! How sweet, and how romantic :) + :) = How Sweet, how romantic ;-)


See ya next week!

love ya

Mina
Undergroundrailroad, How Sweet, how Romantic!

[foxy]

25. Hi UGRR

Hope you have a wonderful day :hi:

[undergroundrailroad]

26. Hi Foxy! Here's a couple of Eclairs for you !

How have you been? Hope all is COPA :)


Have a wonderful evening Foxy and here's a big ((hug))


Love ya,


Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[undergroundrailroad]

27. Does anyone need a tight hug?

Here ya go!





Happy Hugs :)


Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[Coffee Coyote]

28. thank you!

:D

[undergroundrailroad]

30. Your welcome Coffee Coyote!

Would you like to refresh your coffee mug?




Undergroundrailroad

[cally]

29. Hi Mina and DU

Funny thing about chocalate eclairs. As soon as I got my license, I drove down to this bakery and got a chocalate eclair. Yummmy! :bounce:

Questions:

1. My Dad and Mom taught me to drive. I still remember my Dad walking down to the car for my first driving lesson with a full cup of coffee. :eyes: I told him he might want to leave that behind and he looked up surprised. He was very calm. My mother was a nervous wreck. To her credit, she had me drive constantly even though I made her extremely nervous. I actually had my Dad take my daughter out when she was learning because she needed to learn from someone calm which my husband and I are definitely not.

2. I took Sunday drives when I was young. Now, I just hate cars and driving because I do way too much.

3. It's after dinnertime. I had a late lunch out because we celebrated workmates' birthday, so I didn't have dinner.

[undergroundrailroad]

31. Good Evening Cally!

I bet you enjoyed your victory and you deserved your eclair reward :)

I just adore you initial driving experience. Those are so important. Like so many "firsts" in our lives, this ranks in the top ten. It's as vivd as the day you first stepped on that gas peddle. It's a mental imprint.

Very interesting point you make. As I have gotten older, I have decreased my driving also. I do get those Sunday drives in, even if it's to get ice-cream or drive by the ocean. When I'm in my car, that is my thinking time. I can yell right back at the RW talk radio hosts, and no one cares. Sometimes I drive to 7-11 to drink tea or coffee and people watch. All the above are less than 1.5 miles from my home. Sometimes I just need to get into my inner-self and those Sunday drives accomplish that.

Well, there's always that great summer stand-by, yummy fruit salad :) :)

Have a great evening :hi:

Love,

Mina

[blondeatlast]

32. Happy Monday, Mina!

So glad you were there to hold our table at the patisserie!

Still hangin' in here at DU.

:loveya:
Laurel

[undergroundrailroad]

33. Hi ya!

Thanks for dropping in the Undergroundrailroad to say hello, good evening and all that good stuff.

What did you have for dinner?

For me, it was carrot salad and bakery whole wheat roll.


I'm so glad you stopped in Laurel :hi:

Love ya,

Mina
Undergroundrailroad

[blondeatlast]

34. Cupboard's pretty bare; so I through together some rice salad

with a yummy raita (cucumber, carrot dill, onion in yogurt) dressing and some nice crisp French bread--Dr. Atkin's stays away from my door!.

Tasted darn good--high was 112 degrees today!